This humble Taoist priest wants to take the college entrance exam.

Chapter 32 The Wind Rises

"I'm not a little cicada! I have a name!"

"Didn't you just call me a Taoist priest?"

"Because you were originally a Taoist priest."

Seeing Wen Zhixia's serious analysis, Chen Shi'an couldn't help but laugh.

It turns out that some people really can make everything seem bright and radiant just by appearing in front of you.

"Why are you walking so slowly? Aren't you hungry?" Wen Zhixia asked him again. It was lunchtime, and all the students on the road were in a hurry, but he was strolling leisurely.

"I'm hungry."

"Then why are you walking so slowly?"

"The cafeteria isn't going to run away again."

"The cafeteria won't run away... but there's a line! Hurry up and run!"

After saying that, Wen Zhixia wiggled her two short legs and started walking quickly.

She was also worried that Chen Shi'an might not be able to keep up, and just as she was about to turn around to look at him, he was already right beside her.

He walked at the same speed as her, but unlike her obviously hurried movements and demeanor, Chen Shi'an, even walking so fast, still gave people the feeling of strolling leisurely.

"Why are you walking so fast?"

The girl was already starting to jog. The most obvious difference between running and walking is that both feet leave the ground at the same time for a moment. Chen Shi'an was clearly still walking, but if you looked closely, his "walking" seemed to have some abnormal phenomena - logically speaking, his legs were not that long, but he always took a big step when he took a light step, even though his movements were not exaggerated at all.

Wen Zhixia was shocked and didn't know how he did it. It was as if the wind was particularly obedient to him. Not only did it not hinder him when he was walking, it also pushed him around.

One classic element of the performance is the use of props, where the performer uses body language and facial expressions to make the audience believe that there is actually a ball or a wall in mid-air. Did Chen Shi'an also receive special training in controlling his body language and facial expressions? Even though he's practically running, it looks like he's still walking?
Unfortunately, those without cultivation can only see the surface and cannot discern the subtleties of his footwork.

Chen Shi'an didn't explain much, but just smiled and said, "I have long legs."

"Hmph! So what if you have long legs? My legs aren't short either!"

Chen Shi'an looked her over. What the girl said was true. Although she was not tall, her leg proportions were indeed perfect.

The school has more than 4,000 teachers and students, and there are three canteens: two for students and one for teachers.

Regular students' meal cards can only be used in the student cafeteria, but teachers' meal cards can be used in all three cafeterias.

As they approached the cafeteria, Wen Zhixia slowed her pace, explaining to Chen Shi'an, like a local introducing a tourist which cafeteria was better.

"The noodles in Cafeteria No. 1 are pretty good, the rice dishes are so-so, and the price is a bit high, but the variety is more extensive; I heard the contractor for Cafeteria No. 2 is from the same hometown as the principal, but he seems honest, and the dishes are mostly local flavors, but the variety is less, though the price is more reasonable. Do you want noodles or rice?"

The two happened to meet and, being alone, decided to become temporary dining buddies.

"I'm eating, what about you?" Chen Shi'an asked. The No. 2 canteen was the one he had packed up yesterday. He had tasted the food and thought it was alright.

"Yeah, I'll eat too. But there are so many people now..." Wen Zhixia looked at the queue in front of her. There were at least a dozen people in front of each window, and it would take at least ten minutes to get there.

"No rush, food tastes better when you're a little hungry."

"That's right~"

Chen Shi'an stood in the line behind the window where the auntie who had served him food yesterday was, and Wen Zhixia followed and stood behind Chen Shi'an.

She stretched out her small hand and moved it horizontally from above her head, almost reaching Chen Shi'an's ear.

Chen Shi'an turned to look at her movements and couldn't help but say, "Are you comparing heights? Did you move your hand crookedly?"

"No way."

"It should only reach my chin at most."

"...How tall are you?"

"I'm about 1.8 meters tall, how about you?"

"I... am 1.6 meters tall!"

Chen Shi'an was suspicious. Judging by his estimation, she was about 1.6 meters tall with shoes on… but…

I'm referring to net height.

"Then, I'm 1.6 meters tall too!"

"He's not only 1.59 meters tall, is he?"

"How can it be!"

The girl blushed slightly, then said some incomprehensible things like, "You'll be 1.61 meters tall with shoes on," "Who goes out without shoes?" and "What's the use of height?"

Seeing that she was peeking at the queue and the food window from time to time because her view was blocked, Chen Shi'an gave her a spot.

"Why don't you stand in front of me?" "Okay~"

Wen Zhixia didn't stand on ceremony with him. It was a done deal that the two of them would have lunch together today. It didn't matter who got their food first or last. Coincidentally, the girl standing in front of Chen Shi'an was also not tall. Even though there were tall people blocking her view, at least she had a much more comfortable space to look out.

As the girl stood in front of him, all Chen Shi'an saw was her back.

As your gaze sweeps across her profile, you can see the smooth curve of her jawline leading down to her neck. When she tilts her head slightly to look at the line ahead, her neck forms a delicate arc.

Wen Zhixia was indeed very afraid of the heat. Perhaps because she had walked too fast, there was a little sweat on her fair neck. Her shoulder-length hair stopped just above her delicate collarbone. When she turned her head, her smooth hair brushed against her tender red ears, which, together with the thin sweat on her neck, created a damp yet refreshing summer feeling.

Because of his Taoist cultivation, a pure Taoist aura would spontaneously permeate Chen Shi'an's surroundings, but its intensity was limited and it was not 'cool' in a physical sense.

Seeing that the girl was indeed very hot, Chen Shi'an had a thought, and a breeze seemed to appear around her.

The wind didn't even stir her hair, yet it brought her a real sense of coolness.

Visibly, the girl's small hand, which she had been using to fan herself and cool down, slowly stopped.

She carefully sensed it, then her eyes widened in surprise as she turned to speak to Chen Shi'an:
"Taoist priest, can you feel the breeze? The spot in front of you is so much cooler than where I was! It's suddenly not so stuffy anymore!"

"Oh, so you were too hot to talk. No wonder you suddenly became so quiet."

"It's so hot! The more I talk, the more I sweat. The school is so stingy. They know the hottest place in the cafeteria is where you're queuing, but they don't even install more fans..."

"Do you usually eat by yourself?" Chen Shi'an asked curiously.

He observed the students around him and found that not many people ate alone; most were in twos or threes together.

"Yes, I usually eat by myself."

Wen Zhixia's answer surprised Chen Shi'an. Logically speaking, given her personality, she should have quite a few friends.

"Don't you have any friends?"

"Yes, I have."

"Then why don't you eat with them? Are you isolating them?"

"certainly not!"

Wen Zhixia rolled her eyes at him, "Because they all live in dorms, and they have to rush back to their dorms to rest after eating. I eat very slowly, and I'm always the last one to finish. They feel bad if they don't wait for me, and I feel bad if they wait for me. It's really a dilemma, so I just eat by myself. It's better than everyone eating together and then them going back first, leaving me to eat slowly by myself..."

The girl's delicate thoughts and thoughtfulness impressed Chen Shi'an; she didn't seem as carefree as she appeared.

After finishing her sentence, Wen Zhixia asked him, "And what about you? Why are you eating alone too?" Before Chen Shi'an could reply, she muttered to herself, "Oh right... you just transferred here, it's kind of awkward to eat with people you don't know well. I'd rather eat alone too..."

"What am I supposed to say after you've finished talking?"

"Hmph, you're not happy that I'm saving you the trouble of talking."

After saying that, she muttered to herself with curiosity, "But it's really amazing. I'm not a very outgoing person, and we've only known each other for two days, but it feels like we're already very familiar with each other?"

"Maybe it's just a matter of chemistry; there are some people who make you feel like you've known them for years at first glance."

"Ah! You feel the same way about me?"

"No, I just find you funny," Chen Shi'an said honestly.

"Get lost~ Isn't fun just interesting? I guess I'm an interesting person after all."

The girl was good at making excuses for herself; saying something funny about someone was probably a high compliment!
Chen Shi'an now understood how her sunny and cheerful personality had developed.

"How about we eat together from now on? Like you said this morning, we can be meal buddies?" Chen Shi'an extended an invitation.

"I eat very slowly."

"I don't eat fast either."

"Is it really that slow? Don't you guys usually sit down for five minutes and then leave with your empty plates?"

"Look how slowly I walk."

“Yes!”

He said, "I don't eat fast either," instead of "I don't mind" or "It's okay, I can wait for you."

The difference between these two is very important to Wen Zhixia! The reason she doesn't eat with her friends is that everyone eats faster than her, not that they don't wait for her. She is a girl who is very unwilling to cause trouble for others because of her own reasons.

"Well……"

Wen Zhixia hesitated for a moment, then finally turned around with bright eyes:
"Okay! Let's be dining together again!"

"What if I eat slower than you?" Chen Shi'an laughed.

"I'll wait for you."

(End of this chapter)